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All you need to know about Acclimation
- By marchmaxima .
- Published 01/5/2009
- General Articles
- Unrated
marchmaxima .
marchmaxima had a typical start to her life as an aquarist by committing most of the usual newbie mistakes. Having learned from her experiences and the experiences of others, she now enjoys the hobby as much as any enthusiast. Now, older and (hopefully) wiser, she enjoys sharing her own knowledge and experiences with others in the hope of saving them from making the same mistakes.
View all articles by marchmaxima .
Acclimating your fish at home
In order to live successfully and happily, all living creatures need time to adequately adjust to an unfamiliar environment. Fish tank inhabitants that die within the first few days of being introduced to a new aquarium generally do so because they are not acclimatized adequately and go into shock. By following good acclimation practices you can greatly reduce the level of stress your inhabitants will endure and give them a better chance for survival. Proper acclimation should be applied to all living creatures that may be introduced to your tank including fish, invertebrates, snails, and even some plants.
This article discusses the most common methods used to acclimatise fish and other inhabitants. The article then provides a detailed step-by-step set of instructions for the Drip Method, the method that is generally accepted among aquarists to be the best-practice acclimation method.
If you wish to skip the article and go straight to the drip method instructions, click the link below.
Take me to the drip method instructions
What will happen if I don’t acclimate?
Pouring the fish along with the water into the tank as soon as you get home is fraught with danger. The best case scenario is that nothing will happen. If this is your experience, you are extremely lucky and I encourage you to go out and buy a lottery ticket. The difference between your water parameters and the water parameters from the source are a factor of the level of stress your fish will incur if they are not acclimatized properly. There is also a good chance of introducing diseases or parasites into your tank affecting your existing fish.
Quarantine
Before we get into the detail of the methods, it is prudent to stop for a moment and consider the importance of quarantine.
Many serious enthusiasts will consider the quarantine tank a vital piece of equipment. Quarantine tanks play an important role in reducing the risk of your new inhabitants and plants from introducing disease and parasites into the aquarium. If you have a large setup you’ve spent a small fortune on, it is no surprise to want to protect that investment by separating any new arrivals and ensuring that they are in optimum health before they are introduced to the main tank. Methods for acclimatising your fish from bag to quarantine tank and from quarantine tank to main tank are no different. You must always properly acclimatize your fish when you move them.
Is it safe to put the bag water in my aquarium?
Most people (including the author) will strongly advise against this unless under the strictest of conditions. It is simply safer to assume that the water that comes with your new inhabitants is polluted, medicated, containing parasites, or is otherwise unsafe in some way. After all, how do you know it is safe?
For a moment, assume that the bag water is free of parasites, diseases and any other countless microscopic organisms you’d prefer to avoid. The longer the fish are in the bag in transit, the more ammonia and other pollutants build up. It doesn’t take very long for the bag water to be ammonia-ridden. In addition, some fish shops and breeders add medications to water in an effort to reduce stress levels of fish during transport. Many medications are designed to kill bacteria, which is good for the fish while they’re in transit, but is no good for that vital colony of beneficial bacteria living in your filter. If the water in the water in the bag is not clear, you can safely assume some sort of additive has been used. If the bag is clear, you can’t rule out its use.
No matter which method you use to acclimatise your tank inhabitants, always dump the bag water. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
The only time you might consider transferring inhabitants from tank to tank including the water is when you are convinced beyond doubt that ALL water parameters (temperature, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, gH, kH, salinity, etc) of the source tank and destination tank are identical and the water from the source is known to be ‘safe’. This might be the case if you have more than one tank in your home.
A note on Corals and Photosynthetic Reef Invertebrates
The need to acclimate corals and photosynthetic reef invertebrates to water is the cause of much debate amongst hobbyists. Those that advocate slower acclimation to water believe that variance in parameters between the water in the bag and the tank water may cause the coral to fall into a type of traumatized state putting the coral at risk of damaging its internal structure. Others will equalize the temperatures for around 10 minutes before putting the coral straight into the tank stating that it is counter-productive to keep it in the bag longer than necessary. Some hobbyists believe that the method and duration of acclimation should vary depending on the source or type of coral. It is not uncommon to hear of people drip acclimating corals between 30 minutes and two hours.
Regardless of which method you use to acclimate corals to water parameters, they need to acclimate to new lighting at their own pace. A good light meter is an essential tool that will go a long way in helping you achieve success in coral display and propagation. An easy way to kill your new coral is to move it around three, four or even five times during the first week to get just the right position for display purpose. Know the actual luminary requirements of your coral and secure the coral under those conditions and worry about aesthetics later.
The obvious message regarding the debate regarding acclimation of corals is to research your coral thoroughly before you acquire it. Learn its lighting and water preferences and test the parameter variance between the bag water and the destination tank. Observe your coral for evidence regarding its health status. The larger the variance in temperature, lighting and water conditions or stock that is not at optimum health equals longer acclimation time.
Before you start
Prior to picking up your new inhabitants, get your equipment out and ready to use. By the time you get home your inhabitants will be stressed from the bag-and-transit process. In order to minimize the time that they are in a state of stress, start the acclimation process immediately in order to get them out of those bags and into the tank as quickly as possible. If you are messing around looking for where you last saw that inline tubing or finding other equipment, the fish remain in the bag for longer periods and are in a state of stress for longer. It should also be pretty obvious to foresee that rushing around in a tizz when tending your aquarium equals water on floor.
In order to live successfully and happily, all living creatures need time to adequately adjust to an unfamiliar environment. Fish tank inhabitants that die within the first few days of being introduced to a new aquarium generally do so because they are not acclimatized adequately and go into shock. By following good acclimation practices you can greatly reduce the level of stress your inhabitants will endure and give them a better chance for survival. Proper acclimation should be applied to all living creatures that may be introduced to your tank including fish, invertebrates, snails, and even some plants.
This article discusses the most common methods used to acclimatise fish and other inhabitants. The article then provides a detailed step-by-step set of instructions for the Drip Method, the method that is generally accepted among aquarists to be the best-practice acclimation method.
If you wish to skip the article and go straight to the drip method instructions, click the link below.
Take me to the drip method instructions
What will happen if I don’t acclimate?
Pouring the fish along with the water into the tank as soon as you get home is fraught with danger. The best case scenario is that nothing will happen. If this is your experience, you are extremely lucky and I encourage you to go out and buy a lottery ticket. The difference between your water parameters and the water parameters from the source are a factor of the level of stress your fish will incur if they are not acclimatized properly. There is also a good chance of introducing diseases or parasites into your tank affecting your existing fish.
Quarantine
Before we get into the detail of the methods, it is prudent to stop for a moment and consider the importance of quarantine.
Many serious enthusiasts will consider the quarantine tank a vital piece of equipment. Quarantine tanks play an important role in reducing the risk of your new inhabitants and plants from introducing disease and parasites into the aquarium. If you have a large setup you’ve spent a small fortune on, it is no surprise to want to protect that investment by separating any new arrivals and ensuring that they are in optimum health before they are introduced to the main tank. Methods for acclimatising your fish from bag to quarantine tank and from quarantine tank to main tank are no different. You must always properly acclimatize your fish when you move them.
Is it safe to put the bag water in my aquarium?
Most people (including the author) will strongly advise against this unless under the strictest of conditions. It is simply safer to assume that the water that comes with your new inhabitants is polluted, medicated, containing parasites, or is otherwise unsafe in some way. After all, how do you know it is safe?
For a moment, assume that the bag water is free of parasites, diseases and any other countless microscopic organisms you’d prefer to avoid. The longer the fish are in the bag in transit, the more ammonia and other pollutants build up. It doesn’t take very long for the bag water to be ammonia-ridden. In addition, some fish shops and breeders add medications to water in an effort to reduce stress levels of fish during transport. Many medications are designed to kill bacteria, which is good for the fish while they’re in transit, but is no good for that vital colony of beneficial bacteria living in your filter. If the water in the water in the bag is not clear, you can safely assume some sort of additive has been used. If the bag is clear, you can’t rule out its use.
No matter which method you use to acclimatise your tank inhabitants, always dump the bag water. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
The only time you might consider transferring inhabitants from tank to tank including the water is when you are convinced beyond doubt that ALL water parameters (temperature, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, gH, kH, salinity, etc) of the source tank and destination tank are identical and the water from the source is known to be ‘safe’. This might be the case if you have more than one tank in your home.
A note on Corals and Photosynthetic Reef Invertebrates
The need to acclimate corals and photosynthetic reef invertebrates to water is the cause of much debate amongst hobbyists. Those that advocate slower acclimation to water believe that variance in parameters between the water in the bag and the tank water may cause the coral to fall into a type of traumatized state putting the coral at risk of damaging its internal structure. Others will equalize the temperatures for around 10 minutes before putting the coral straight into the tank stating that it is counter-productive to keep it in the bag longer than necessary. Some hobbyists believe that the method and duration of acclimation should vary depending on the source or type of coral. It is not uncommon to hear of people drip acclimating corals between 30 minutes and two hours.
Regardless of which method you use to acclimate corals to water parameters, they need to acclimate to new lighting at their own pace. A good light meter is an essential tool that will go a long way in helping you achieve success in coral display and propagation. An easy way to kill your new coral is to move it around three, four or even five times during the first week to get just the right position for display purpose. Know the actual luminary requirements of your coral and secure the coral under those conditions and worry about aesthetics later.
The obvious message regarding the debate regarding acclimation of corals is to research your coral thoroughly before you acquire it. Learn its lighting and water preferences and test the parameter variance between the bag water and the destination tank. Observe your coral for evidence regarding its health status. The larger the variance in temperature, lighting and water conditions or stock that is not at optimum health equals longer acclimation time.
Before you start
Prior to picking up your new inhabitants, get your equipment out and ready to use. By the time you get home your inhabitants will be stressed from the bag-and-transit process. In order to minimize the time that they are in a state of stress, start the acclimation process immediately in order to get them out of those bags and into the tank as quickly as possible. If you are messing around looking for where you last saw that inline tubing or finding other equipment, the fish remain in the bag for longer periods and are in a state of stress for longer. It should also be pretty obvious to foresee that rushing around in a tizz when tending your aquarium equals water on floor.